Adenovirus vector-mediated YKL-40 shRNA attenuates eosinophil airway inflammation in a murine asthmatic model.

Recent studies have revealed that YKL-40 is involved in the pathogenesis of asthma. However, its specific mechanism remains unclear. The present study aims to investigate the effect of adenovirus vector-mediated YKL-40 short hairpin RNA (shRNA) on regulation of airway inflammation in a murine asthmatic model. Mice were assessed for airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR), total leukocytes and the percentage of eosinophil cells in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). YKL-40 mRNA and protein expression levels were detected using quantitative real-time PCR and western blot assays. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was used to detect YKL-40 and eosinophil-related chemokine expression levels in BALF and serum. Lung histology analyses were performed to evaluate the degree of inflammatory cell infiltration around the airway and airway mucus secretion.YKL-40 shRNA significantly inhibited the YKL-40 gene expression in asthmatic mice. In addition, YKL-40 shRNA alleviated eosinophilic airway inflammation, AHR, airway mucus secretion and decreased the levels of YKL-40 in BALF and serum in a murine asthmatic model. The levels and mRNA expression of IL-5, IL-13 in asthmatic mice lung tissues, eotaxin, and GM-CSF in BALF and serum significantly decreased. Bone marrow signaling molecules including IL-5, eotaxin, and GM-CSF were correlated with decreased levels of YKL-40. The study reveals that YKL-40 could be involved in asthma inflammation by altering bone marrow signaling molecules. YKL-40 gene RNA interference could provide new therapeutic strategies for asthma.

Manipulation of macrophage polarization by peptide-coated gold nanoparticles and its protective effects on acute lung injury.

BACKGROUND: Macrophage polarization and reprogramming in the lung play a critical role in the initiation, development and progression of acute lung injury (ALI). Regulating the activation and differentiation of pulmonary macrophages may provide a potential therapeutic strategy to treat ALI. We previously developed a novel class of anti-inflammatory nanoparticles (P12) that can potently inhibit Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling in macrophages. These bioactive nanodevices were made of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) coated with hexapeptides to not only ensure their physiological stability but also enable GNPs with TLR inhibitory activity. RESULTS: In this study, using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced ALI mouse model, we showed that P12 was able to alleviate lung inflammation and damage through reducing the infiltration of inflammatory cells and increasing the anti-inflammatory cytokine (IL-10) in the lung. These results prompted us to investigate possible macrophage polarization by P12. We first confirmed that P12 primarily targeted macrophages in the lung to exert anti-inflammatory activity. We then showed that P12 could drive the polarization of mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) toward anti-inflammatory M2 phenotype. Interestingly, in the ALI mouse model, P12 was able to increase the alveolar M2 macrophages and reduce both the alveolar and interstitial M1 macrophages in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) and lung tissues. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated that peptide-coated GNPs could induce M2 macrophage polarization in vitro and in vivo to effectively regulate lung inflammation, protect lung from injuries and promote inflammation resolution. The ability of regulating macrophage polarization together with TLR inhibition made such a bioactive nanodevice a new generation of potent therapeutics to treat ALI.

Global mapping of binding sites for phic31 integrase in transgenic maden-darby bovine kidney cells using ChIP-seq.

BACKGROUND: ΦC31 integrase, a site-specific recombinase, can efficiently target attB-bearing transgenes to endogenous pseudo attP sites within mammalian genomes. The sequence features of endogenous binding sites will help us to fully understand the site-specific recognition function by ΦC31 integrase. The present study was aimed to uncover the global map of ΦC31 integrase binding sites in bovine cells and analysis the features of these binding sites by comprehensive bioinformatics methods. RESULTS: In this study, we constructed a ChIP-seq method that can be used to uncover the global binding sites by phiC31 integrase. 6740 potential ΦC31 integrase binding sites were identified. A sequence motif was found that contains inverted repeats and has similarities to wild-type attP site. Using REPEATMASKER, we identified a total of 20,183 repeat-regions distributed in 50 repeat types for the 6740 binding sites. These sites enriched in "regulation of GTPase activity" of in the GO category of biological process and KEGG pathway of signal transmembrane transporter activity. CONCLUSION: This study is the first time to uncover the global map of binding sites for ΦC31 integrase using ChIP-sequencing method and analysis the features of these binding sites. This method will help us to fully understand the mechanism of the site-specific integration function by phiC31 integrase and will potentially boost its genetic manipulations in both gene therapy and generation of transgenic animals.

Nomegestrol Acetate Suppresses Human Endometrial Cancer RL95-2 Cells Proliferation In Vitro and In Vivo Possibly Related to Upregulating Expression of SUFU and Wnt7a.

Nomegestrol acetate (NOMAC) has been successfully used for the treatment of some gynecological disorders, and as a combined oral contraceptive with approval in many countries. In this study, we investigated the effects of NOMAC on human endometrial cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. The proliferation of human endometrial cancer cells (RL95-2 and KLE) were assessed using CCK-8 and EdU incorporation assays. Whole-genome cDNA microarray analysis was used to identify the effects of NOMAC on gene expression profiles in RL95-2 cells. RL95-2 xenograft nude mice were treated with NOMAC (50, 100, and 200 mg/kg) or medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA; 100 and 200 mg/kg) for 28 consecutive days. The results showed that NOMAC significantly inhibited the growth of RL95-2 cells in a concentration-dependent manner, but not in KLE cells. Further investigation demonstrated that NOMAC produced a stronger inhibition of tumor growth (inhibition rates for 50, 100, and 200 mg/kg NOMAC were 24.74%, 47.04%, and 58.06%, respectively) than did MPA (inhibition rates for 100 and 200 mg/kg MPA were 41.06% and 27.01%, respectively) in the nude mice bearing the cell line of RL95-2. NOMAC altered the expression of several genes related to cancer cell proliferation, including SUFU and Wnt7a. The upregulation of SUFU and Wnt7a was confirmed using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction and Western blotting in RL95-2 cells and RL95-2 xenograft tumor tissues, but not in KLE cells. These data indicate that NOMAC can inhibit the proliferation of RL95-2 cell in vitro and suppress the growth of xenografts in the nude mice bearing the cell line of RL95-2 in vivo. This effect could be related to the upregulating expression of SUFU and Wnt7a.

Nano-Enabled Reposition of Proton Pump Inhibitors for TLR Inhibition: Toward A New Targeted Nanotherapy for Acute Lung Injury.

Toll-like receptor (TLR) activation in macrophages plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of acute lung injury (ALI). While TLR inhibition is a promising strategy to control the overwhelming inflammation in ALI, there still lacks effective TLR inhibitors for clinical uses to date. A unique class of peptide-coated gold nanoparticles (GNPs) is previously discovered, which effectively inhibited TLR signaling and protected mice from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced ALI. To fast translate such a discovery into potential clinical applicable nanotherapeutics, herein an elegant strategy of "nano-enabled drug repurposing" with "nano-targeting" is introduced to empower the existing drugs for new uses. Combining transcriptome sequencing with Connectivity Map analysis, it is identified that the proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) share similar mechanisms of action to the discovered GNP-based TLR inhibitor. It is confirmed that PPIs (including omeprazole) do inhibit endosomal TLR signaling and inflammatory responses in macrophages and human peripheral blood mononuclear cells, and exhibits anti-inflammatory activity in an LPS-induced ALI mouse model. The omeprazole is then formulated into a nanoform with liposomes to enhance its macrophage targeting ability and the therapeutic efficacy in vivo. This research provides a new translational strategy of nano-enabled drug repurposing to translate bioactive nanoparticles into clinically used drugs and targeted nano-therapeutics for ALI.

Inducible expression of heat shock protein 20 protects airway epithelial cells against oxidative injury involving the Nrf2-NQO-1 pathway.

BACKGROUND: Heat shock protein (HSP) 20 is a molecular chaperone that exerts multiple protective functions in various kinds of tissues. However, the expression of HSP20 and its specific functions in airway epithelial cells (AECs) remain elusive. RESULTS: In current study, we first confirmed the inducible expression of HSP20 in mouse AECs and in a human bronchial epithelial cell line BEAS-2B cells, under different oxidant stressors. Then by establishing a HSP20-abundant mouse model with repeated low-level-ozone exposures and stimulating this model with a single high-level ozone exposure, we found that the HSP20 abundance along with its enhanced phosphorylation potentially contributed to the alleviation of oxidative injuries, evidenced by the decreases in the bodyweight reduction, the BAL neutrophil accumulation, the AECs shedding, and the BAL concentrations of albumin and E-cadherin. The biological function of HSP20 and its molecular mechanisms were further investigated in BEAS-2B cells that were transfected with HSP20-, unphosphorylatable HSP20(Ala) or empty vector plasmids prior to the stimulation of H2O2, of which its oxidant capacity has been proved to be similar with those of ozone in an air-liquid culture system. We found that the H2O2-induced intracellular ROS level and the early cell apoptosis were attenuated in the HSP20- but not HSP20(Ala)- transfected cells. The intracellular expression of NQO-1 (mRNA and protein) and the intranuclear content of Nrf2 were significantly increased in the HSP20- transfected cells but not in the HSP20(Ala)- and empty vector-transfected cells after the stimulation of H2O2. CONCLUSIONS: The inducible expression of HSP20 in AECs by oxidative stress exerts protective roles against oxidative damages, which may involve the activation of the Nrf2-NQO-1 pathway.

Enhanced Anti-inflammatory Activity of Peptide-Gold Nanoparticle Hybrids upon Cigarette Smoke Extract Modification through TLR Inhibition and Autophagy Induction.

Overwhelming uncontrolled inflammation is the hallmark of pathophysiological features of many acute and chronic inflammatory diseases, such as sepsis and allergy and autoimmune disorders. It is important to develop potent pharmacological interventions to effectively control such detrimental inflammatory reactions in these diseases. Recently, we have developed a special class of peptide-gold nanoparticle hybrid system that can inhibit Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signal transduction pathways and decrease its downstream inflammatory responses. Herein, we serendipitously discovered that a tiny amount of cigarette smoke extract (CSE, 1%) was able to significantly enhance the inhibitory activity of the hybrids on TLR4-mediated inflammatory responses. Mechanistically, it was found that active components in CSE were able to adsorb onto the hybrids and largely increased their cellular uptake in THP-1 cell-derived macrophages. Such high cellular uptake not only enhanced the inhibition on the endosomal acidification required for TLR4 activation but also contributed to autophagy induction and subsequent antioxidant protein expression. Consequently, this duel action strengthened the anti-inflammatory activity of the hybrids in cells and in an acute lung injury (ALI) mouse model. This work aids our fundamental understanding of nanoparticles regulating the innate immune responses. It also provides a new way to design potent anti-inflammatory nanotherapeutics for inflammatory diseases such as ALI.

Hormone-like activities of Kuntai capsule in the uteri of ovariectomized rats and immature rabbits.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the hormone-like activities of Kuntai capsule (KTC) in the uteri of ovariectomized rats and immature rabbits. METHODS: Following bilateral ovariectomy, rats were randomly divided into six groups including sham group, control group, estradiol valerate group, KTC 0.24, 0.6, and 1.5 g/kg groups. The rats were treated with 0.5% CMC-Na, estradiol valerate and KTC (0.24, 0.6, and 1.5 g/kg), respectively for 28 consecutive days. Then the estrous cycle, uterine changes and pathological changes were examined. Serum levels of estradiol (E2), and progesterone (P4) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Protein levels of estradiol receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and nuclear-associated antigen-67 (Ki-67) in uterine tissues were detected by western blot. Immature rabbits were estrogen-primed prior to intragastric administration with KTC for 6 d consecutively. Then, the uteri underwent hematoxylin-eosin staining to observe endometrial transformation. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, 0.6 and 1.5 g/kg KTC markedly decreased the uterine organ coefficient and endometrial thickness (P < 0.05). The serum level of P4 was increased in the KTC 0.6 g/kg group (P < 0.05). There were no significant variations in the serum level of E2 in the KTC groups compared with the control group. ER¦Â, but not ER¦Á, was markedly upregulated after KTC administration (P < 0.05). Furthermore, 1.5 g/kg KTC significantly decreased the protein level of PRA (P < 0.05) and 0.6 g/kg KTC increased the protein level of PRB in the uteri (P < 0.05). VEGF was highly expressed after treatment with 0.24 and 0.6 g/kg KTC, and Ki-67 was markedly reduced in ovariectomized rats treated with 1.5 g/kg KTC. No difference was found in the expression of PCNA. KTC 0.24 and 0.6 g/kg promoted endometrial transformation in immature rabbit uteri. CONCLUSION: KTC does not demonstrate obvious estrogen-like effect on uteri after ovariectomy, but it does exhibit weak progestogen-like effect, by which mechanism of action is yet to be further investigated.

Podophyllotoxin Extracted from Juniperus sabina Fruit Inhibits Rat Sperm Maturation and Fertility by Promoting Epididymal Epithelial Cell Apoptosis.

This study aimed to investigate the antifertility effect of Juniperus sabina fruit on male rats and its possible mechanism, and hence it might be developed as a potential nonhormonal male contraceptive. Male rats were intragastrically fed for consecutive 8-week and 4-week recovery with the fruit of J. Sabina, and sperm maturation, serum testosterone level, and histopathology were analyzed. Epididymal epithelial cell culture was prepared for detection of podophyllotoxin activities. Furthermore, cell proliferation, transmission electron microscopy, Annexin V/Propidium iodide, TUNEL, RT-PCR, ELISA, and western blotting were examined. The results showed that rat sperm motility and fertility were remarkably declined after feeding the fruit. Moreover, the fruit targeted the epididymis rather than the testis. After 4-week recovery, more than half of the male rats resumed normal fertility. It was found that podophyllotoxin significantly inhibited epididymal epithelial cell proliferation, promoted cell apoptosis, and increased the mRNA and protein levels of TNF-α and the expression levels of cytochrome c, caspase-8, caspase-9, and caspase-3. Our findings suggest that the fruit of J. sabina could inhibit male rat sperm maturation and fertility. The potential mechanism might be related to podophyllotoxin, inducing epididymal epithelial cell apoptosis through TNF-α and caspase signaling pathway.

Kuntai Capsule Inhibited Endometriosis via Inducing Apoptosis in a Rat Model.

We evaluated the effectiveness of Kuntai Capsule (KTC) for treating endometriosis using rat model and investigated its preliminary mechanism of action involved. SD rats were implanted with endometrial tissues and treated with KTC for three weeks. Then, laparotomy was performed to examine volume changes of the autografts. The serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, COX-2, E2, and P4 were measured through ELISA. TUNEL was performed to analyze the apoptosis on ectopic endometrium. Protein levels of caspases 8, 9, and 3 and cytochrome c in the ectopic and eutopic endometrium were measured by western blotting. Results showed that KTC significantly decreased the volumes of ectopic endometrium. The level of TNF-α increased and E2 decreased in the KTC treatment groups. TUNEL and western blot assay showed that KTC could induce apoptosis of endometriotic tissues, accompanied with the increased protein expression of caspases 8 and 9, activated caspase-3, and cytochrome c in a dose-dependent manner. However, these protein expression profiles were not affected in eutopic endometrium. Our findings suggest that KTC could inhibit the growth of ectopic endometrial tissue through upregulating the level of TNF-α and its downstream signaling, including caspases and cytochrome c.